Arbitrary takes on the Falling In Love
by Gustock
Summary: One shots set Pre-Litchfield and before the 'I love you' scene. Alex/Piper.
1. Pretty Things

" _Shit."_

"What?" Silence. "Alex?" Piper snapped her fingers in front of her eyes.

"You're so pretty." She answered, swatting her hand away. All Piper did was laugh.

"You're drunk."

"I don't get drunk."

"Yes you do." She said, placing a kiss on her nose. The corners of Alex's lips tugged up in spite of her annoyed look and she hid it by taking a sip of her glass.

They were sprawled on the couch of Alex's apartment, two empty bottles of champagne on the coffee table and the remains of their dinner still in the living room. The lights dimmed, there was soft music playing in the living room, one of Alex's favorite and she was tapping her feet at the rhythm, Piper smiling to herself looking at her. Alex had managed to drink a bottle and a half of champagne and so many beers that she had lost count. She was smiling goofily very much un-like Alex and her eyes dazed but focused on Piper's face. They were idly watching each other, their heads resting on their hands with their elbows on the headrest of the couch, both their cheeks flushed from their drunken bliss.

"So I can't say you're pretty without being drunk?"

"You can." She conceded, smiling. "I'd just never heard you before."

"I've called you pretty." She protested and Piper laughed softly. She was slightly dizzy herself, a pleasant buzz in her head.

"You've called me hot. Not the same as pretty." She mused, her free hand running mindlessly down her calf, Alex's eyes trailing after it with a smirk.

"You _are_ hot."

But instead of following the thread of the conversation, Piper lazily drawled, "You're cute when you're drunk."

Alex chuckled, leaned away, reaching for her glass and finishing it before letting it drop carelessly on the carpet and resting her head completely on the headrest.

"I don't think anyone's ever used that word to describe me in the history of the universe."

Piper laughed again, her shoulders shaking and Alex smiled.

"You have a pretty smile."

Piper snuggled closer, holding her knees against her chest with her free arm and said, "How so?" with that shameless toothy grin that had Alex's heart taking a leap every time.

She bit the inside of her cheek, attempting to hide her embarrassment because she had started this and she wasn't really fond of these sappy conversations where she always ran the risk of saying too much—because _god,_ sometimes she thought she liked _too_ many things about Piper Chapman and only the thought of saying them aloud made her feel slightly dizzy and out of control. She successfully suppressed the nervous smile threatening to show and instead she craned her neck back a bit, as if the radiance in Piper's smile could be professionally assessed; and in her hazed brain she began running over the words she wanted to say and mentally cross the ones that were too forward and so clearly _something else_. And when she spoke, she did so in a defiant manner, like Piper was forcing her to say things and she was challenging her to contradict her.

"Well, it's just pretty." She said first, like shrugging it off. "Your whole face lights up and you just… have a spark. And it makes your face look wide open and … you look…" Alex swallowed; glanced around the room like making _sure_ no one else was listening to this out of some wild and paranoid self-consciousness. "You just glow." Piper's smile faded a bit and instead took residence in her eyes this slightly surprised reverence that had Alex squirming in her seat before chinning up like she wasn't at all nervous about what Piper would say after her words.

But instead of milling on the subject, Piper shook her head slightly, releasing Alex from her stare, and ducked her head for a second and when she looked back up there was this 100 watt smile on her face that had Alex rethinking her words because they definitely hadn't even _grazed_ what this right in front of her _was_. It had Alex thinking of the sun until Piper dropped her next inquiry loosely.

"So, what else?" It was shameless again but also flirty and now _this_ was something Alex felt comfortable with.

Her smile turned into a grin as she wiggled in her seat closer to Piper and she raised her hand to softly brush her thumb along Piper's cheek, before pressing her index finger to the tip of her nose. Her insides seemed to melt when Piper scrunched up her nose, smiling with her whole face. Alex's favorite.

"You have a pretty nose." She let her finger glide up her nose— "I like the arch." She mused lowly and Piper bit her bottom lip, holding back a giggle. Alex gave her a sideways smirk before letting her finger fall to the side until her thumb followed and brushed her cheekbones, "and pretty eyes, and." She trailed her eyes down as slowly as her fingers and her voice was a tone lower, the slur in her words becoming more apparent when she said, "Pretty lips."

"Yeah?" Piper asked in a low tone, her eyes trained on Alex's own lips and leaning in the slightest bit.

"Yeah." She answered sharply, raising her eyebrows in that challenging manner that always made Piper purse her lips in restrained fondness, and Alex leaned in as well but right in the last second Piper pulled back, and grabbed her glass from the table, taking a long sip.

"Thanks. That's nice."

Alex threw her head back and laughed, staying there staring at the ceiling. She hummed to herself and drummed her fingers against her thighs, her mind inevitably wandering away, even slightly dozing off until Piper's almost inaudible voice brought her back to the present.

"You're beautiful too." Alex glanced at her and her heart dropped because Piper looked a little too lovely with her cheeks flushed and her wavy hair framing her face and a few strands crossing her face down because her head was tilted and she was looking at Alex with something too big for her head to process right at this moment so she said the first thing she could think of to alleviate the air. Too much meaning could lead into too many things.

"I said you were pretty, not beautiful." She mumbled slightly incoherent with a quirk of her eyebrows and a teasing smirk but Piper didn't take the cop out, instead rolling her eyes and saying, "well, I think you're beautiful," before leaning forward and pulling Alex in with her hand on the back of her neck. Once she was comfortably close, Piper threaded her fingers through her hair, and ran them down her scalp. She was kissing her sheepishly, like she wasn't very sure what to do even though they'd done this a fair enough amount of times. There was just _something_ about tonight. There was definitely _something_ about the fluttering in their stomachs. They were kissing sloppily, slow and warm, bumping noses and shy tongues and fumbling hands attempting to reach every unattended stretch of skin like there wasn't enough time or patience to care about the clumsiness of it all.

Except when Alex tugged at her waist, Piper barely moved an inch before tugging right back at Alex.

"Come here." Mumbled Alex, in between kisses.

"You come."

"No. You."

"I'm comfortable."

"Me too."

And suddenly they were laughing, foreheads pressed together until Piper slid down, burying her face in Alex's neck and Alex let her head fall on the headrest with a sigh and slurred words.

"Fuck. I'm exhausted."

"Too much food, Al."

"And booze."

Piper hummed her agreement and snuggled closer to Alex who snaked an arm around her shoulders and gathered her hair away from her face.

"We should go to bed." Mused Piper, nuzzling her nose against Alex's neck and she hummed for a second, deliberating before answering.

"Can't. Move." She decided and Piper laughed, making Alex's whole body resonate and she was starting to doze off again, what with Piper's warmth against her own and the way her laugh let lose lovely things inside her chest and the buzz still reigning in her head and then Piper was pushing her forward, Alex falling on her back and groaning at first but then stretching her long legs, tangled with Piper's, with a satisfied hum. "Good idea." She mumbled and she could feel Piper's lips on her neck.

"Good night, Al." And suddenly it felt very important and very not harmful that Piper knew something pretty— _like her,_ intruded the thought— because Alex wasn't sure she could communicate that with just herself like Piper did.

"I think your smile is just lovely, Pipes." She whispered so low she wasn't sure she'd even said it aloud but then Piper whispered, just as low.

"You do?" And the question was in a way so painfully earnest that it made Alex think it was not the time to hold back.

"I do."

Alex fell asleep with the ghost of Piper's smile on her neck.


	2. Exploring The You And Me

AN: This is going to be a collection of one shots (or more like drabbles, to be honest) and it's going to be pure fluff, I think. I needed a break from Medicine, ha. Anyway, hope you like it :) (ps: toesareoverrated, _you_ are lovely).

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Piper trailed a finger down Alex's stomach, from right between her breasts until just below her belly button imagining her fingertips as brushes, slowly following the path an imaginary line traced on Alex's skin, as if her touch was always meant to be there. She splayed her hand there, on her lower abdomen, letting it take residence in the soft dip between her hipbones, watching the way skin connected with skin and she thought about how things were more than just the sum of their parts.

Her skin in contact with the woman's next to her always translated into so much more than a touch. It was combining their colors and painting the whole bed with a new one.

"I'm pretty sure I don't have a baby there."

Piper smiled but didn't say anything, nor did she look away from the scene. It made her feel calm, feeling Alex under her palm, present, and there, there, _there._

"Well, perhaps I do. We _did_ have like five of those round spicy things. Is something moving in there?"

Her tone was playful and Piper loved it. Her smile turned into a grin and she poked her, glancing at her with a fake scowl. "Shut up. I'm having a moment here."

Alex chuckled and followed the same trail Piper had marked until their hands bumped and then interlaced her fingers with Piper's, pulling her hand to her side, effectively managing to bring her closer as she made her arm snake around her stomach.

"Yeah?" She taunted, slightly shifting to her side to face her properly and Piper pushed up with her feet so they were at the same height. She tilted her head down to keep their noses from bumping and Alex let her lips ghost above her cheek before pecking the corner of her lips. "You and my tummy?"

"Yeah." She answered; feeling overly enthused by her teasing smirk and the childish word. She was drawing her in and Piper could almost feel the colors dripping from all of the places they were touching but Alex loved the game too much to let herself disintegrate that easily.

"Is that the place you choose then?" She mused, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face, trailing her fingers down the length of her neck, resting the palm of her hand on her collarbone. Piper wondered if she could feel her pulse, feel her life under her hand; if she had any intention of staying there. "To set camp?" She quirked her eyebrows and the corner of her lips tugged up into that smirk that was always half teasing and half fondness rolled into this shockwave right to Piper's chest and sometimes, Alex didn't even have to touch her to make Piper feel like she was spilling their color.

She grinned, unable to help it but then leaned forward and caught her lips in a greedy kiss, if only to gather herself. She pulled away and watched her eyes open slowly, a fiery need behind them and she hid the smile attempting to blossom by biting her lip and looking down on her body.

"Do I have to choose one?" She let her hand travel down until it was resting on the top of her thigh and when she watched Alex smile, she leaned forward to place an open mouthed kiss right above her breast.

"Yes." Replied Alex categorically, never leaving her eyes as Piper lowered even further, lips ghosting over her nipple. The rise and fall of her chest quickened and Piper glanced at her only to make sure Alex would watch her licking her lips.

"I think I'd like to do a bit more of exploring before setting up camp." She kissed the base of her breast instead, and pushed Alex so that she fell flat on her back with a mischievous smile on her face and soft laughter intermingling in the air around them. With a hand roaming slowly up her side, Piper kissed just above her ribs before crossing one leg to fall right in between Alex's, who hummed in approval in something that always made Piper think of a purr. She settled with her chin on the nook between her breasts. "Is that alright?" She asked with an innocent tone and wide eyes.

Alex was looking at her with this mixture of mild surprise and attentiveness and Piper fought the nervous insecurity filling her stomach by setting pressure with her thigh. She watched as Alex squirmed slightly in place, and her eyes hooded, and then she whispered huskily, "Yeah, you take your time, kid."

"Thanks." She quipped back mockingly, pushing up and drawing her bottom lip in between her teeth as her hand worked a new path of her fingertips on her body like it was a canvas, all to herself. "For your patience." She continued, still mocking, as her tongue mixed up the colors down her neck. "And your understanding." It was a rainbow of kisses and Alex was shuddering under the new palette of colors spreading within them. Piper liked her in the most basics of senses, with everything she was there for her to see, for her to mingle with, for the unashamed tangling of their limbs.

"Whenever you need it." She mused, threading her fingers through Piper's hair who was just reaching her ribs. She could hear the breathlessness already and she felt a shiver ran up her spine. She splayed both of her hands on her stomach and looked up at her, wondering when in her life had black hair and blue tips; squared glasses and green eyes; pin up girls and roses, become this strange assortment of things that made her feel _this_ way.

The way that made pin up girls remind her of slender fingers drawing circles on her thigh, or of the taste of salty after-sex kisses down colorful arms. The way that made squared glasses remind of that feeling you get when you're in the sea, a wave big enough to make your stomach twist right in front of you and you have to decide whether to go for it or pull back. Each little thing taking identity on its own, composing its own color; because yes, like everything, Alex was an arrangement of things pushed together but she was so much more than just the sum of her parts.

The problem was that there were too many things now that had Alex's own identity within Piper's brain, and she was scared her own color was fading away, but she wasn't really sure she could care enough about that now, when the vibrancy of _their color_ was making her mind foggy as she moved, slithering down with kisses and nips everywhere she could manage. Not when every time she looked up she found those eyes trained on her and Piper could never know who smiled first.

"Pipes." She whispered when she was settled between her legs, elbows on both sides of her thighs and Piper looked at her and smiled challenging.

"Yes?"

"I like the place you chose." Piper rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and shook her head as Alex chuckled from above but then Piper licked the inside of her thigh and Alex went quiet. She neared closer maddeningly slow and when she finally let Alex's hand on the back of her head guide her to where she wanted her, she watched Alex's teeth biting down on her own skin to keep herself from making any sounds. It seemed unfair. Piper kissed her until she heard their color spilling from her mouth.

When she worked her way back up, inspecting the changes in Alex's eyes, she asked, "So, did you choose your place yet?" Alex gazed at her with this vibrant look that had Piper grinning before she even had her answer, and shifted as she left space between them to gingerly place a kiss on her jaw. Piper instantly bent down to place her own ginger kiss on her nose and Alex snickered softly.

"Maybe I'll just go with the place where you and I meet." She mused lowly and Piper giggled, beaming, before the heaviness of her words set in. She ducked her head, hid in her neck and shuddered because that sounded a whole lot like something they were not and she felt the air leave her lungs when Alex found her chin with her hand and lifted her head, eyes meeting again—and sometimes, when she spotted something green it reminded her of this feeling right here, like her heart was too big for her chest and it was straining to get out and be free and mingle its color with Alex's without the barriers _whatever this was_. Piper wondered what that meant. But never for long.

"Oh, yeah?" She began, teasing and Alex rolled her eyes and defiantly answered _yeah._ Piper quipped back immediately, "where did you get that from? A Nicholas Spark book?"

Alex stared at her amusedly for a second before Piper felt the rumble of her laugh in her chest, below her. She pressed their foreheads together and gave her a toothy grin before leaning in and kissing her deeply. When they pulled back, Alex was wearing a grin of her own and she lifted Piper's hand to unite them in the air. "Or I could do a bit of exploring myself, I guess."

"Ok but come on, tell me. Or was it a movie? _Pretty Woman_?" Now Alex scoffed.

"If I go with the exploring will you shut up?"

" _Ghost_?" Alex pushed her back and climbed on top of her. "Oh, I know! _While you were sleep—"_ She swallowed her words and then her lips were roaming her skin, leaving hot, wet trails down her neck and when Piper felt her hands surely caressing her skin and her fingertips trailing after _something_ she wondered if Alex could see their color too.


	3. Climbing Up The Ladder

AN: Just a tiny clarification. I'm not putting aside Medicine; I will probably update by the end of the week, this is just something to hide behind when Medicine gets too heavy. Next chapter is an important one! So, I hope you like this. I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, it was pretty rushed. (ps toesareoverrated: *waves*)

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Piper's body felt like it had been untangled. She was pooling in the bed, as if she had melted there and now she was having trouble re-composing herself. Sleep still had its claws in her brain and the warmth and comfiness plus the feeling of looseness in her body was enough to keep there, unable to move, the laziness tugging at her limbs and prompting her to idle on her place for a while.

 _But._ She needed something first. And so her search began. She fumbled clumsily around the bed with her hand, face still buried in the pillow, looking for the source of the scent impregnated there. Nothing was as good as the original.

"What are you doing?" Alex's voice cut through the silence thick with laughter and when the inevitably husky chuckle came, Piper hummed, satisfied.

"Looking for you." She drawled and Alex's laughter danced in the air around Piper again, filling the sleep hazed space in her brain, slowly bringing her back to life and making a smile blossom on her face. Alex wound her fingers through Piper's and brushed her knuckles with her thumb.

"You found me." Piper furrowed her face in the pillow, managing to suppress the delighted sound attempting to escape her lips. It was way too early for Alex's enticing voice to vine its way up and into her chest like that. It did reach her cheeks though but that, she didn't mind that much. She could blame it on the sun shooting through the room. Piper tugged at her hand and turned her head to face her without opening her eyes, face still half buried in the pillow.

"Yes?" Alex teased, playfulness dripping from her voice.

"Why are you so far away?" Her voice was muffled, but the whine was clear.

"I've been awake for at least three hours, Piper. I was bored. You slept the morning away."

"Well, I've been awake for five minutes, so get here already." She tugged at her hand again.

"Woah, I don't know kid, we cuddled last night, that kind of fills my monthly share, you know?" She said even as she stretched closer, arm wounding around her back and pressing her front to Piper's side. Piper felt her lips on her temple and smiled.

"Are you happy convincing yourself you're this not-at-all mellow person, Alex?" Piper felt the rumble of her laughter in her chest, vibrating against her body and she curled closer to her, slightly shifting on her side to face her and without opening her eyes, she leaned forward and bumped her nose with Alex's a little bit harder than she'd intended.

"What was that?" Asked Alex and Piper cracked an eye open this time before leaning in and kissing her hard on the mouth.

"A good morning kiss." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. When there was no response, she opened only one eye again and saw Alex arching an eyebrow before she closed it again. "That got slightly misdirected okay, shut it." But Alex smirked and drew closer, speaking in a low taunting tone, her breathing warm against Piper's face.

"So we're in the, uh, good morning kisses stage, huh?" She said it in this 'ha, got you' tone and now Piper opened both of her eyes and pursed her lips, giving her a barely suppressed glare and Alex smirked.

"Is everything a stage to you? If I hug you goodbye we're on the 'hug you goodbye' stage? If I brush my teeth here we're in the 'bringing my toothbrush' stage? Is that like some god level afraid of commitment thing?"

Alex let out a bark of a laugh before slightly shoving her shoulder and letting her hand there, only to mindlessly run it down until it landed on Piper's waist, eyes trailing behind it in a stare that had Piper's mouth drying out and when she spoke, she did so in a drawl; low, teasing and husky and there she was again, purring in her ear and Piper was sure if she were standing she'd be weak at the knees.

"So, I gather you're not a morning person, Pipes."

Still trying to maintain her bravado, she shot back. "So what if I'm not?"

Alex leaned in closer and smirked. She hummed in approval.

"Combative. I like that in a woman."

"You like a lot of things about women, Alex."

"I don't see how that's a bad thing. Especially when it gets you a pass for being… _difficult."_

Piper scoffed. "You think that's difficult?" Alex's smirk widened and Piper was starting to feel self conscious with her stare trained on her like that but she plough on. "You're way over your head, then."

Alex gasped, mock offended and dug her fingernails in Piper's waist, making her jump. "That's literally impossible. Have you seen how tall I am?"

Piper went still before she burst out in a fit of laughter and she buried her face in the pillow as her shoulders shook. When she could catch her breath, she looked back up to find her with a lovely shade of pink on her cheeks that she was set on hiding as it was clear when she rolled her eyes and let herself fall back, now staring at the ceiling. "God, Alex, that was horrible." Said Piper softly, immediately stretching closer to her and placing a kiss on her shoulder before glancing at her. Alex's smirk returned and she shifted again to wind an arm around Piper, who said, "why are you not naked?" as if she took that detail as a personal offense while she slipped her hand under her t shirt and lingered at the hem of her pants.

Alex arched her eyebrows and parted her lips while a mischievous look crept up her face.

"Didn't realize you'd be up for anything in the morning…my mistake." She got up on her elbows and met Piper in the middle. They kissed greedily for a few seconds before Alex pulled back wearing an apologetic smile, despite Piper's attempts at keeping her there with her hand on the back of her neck. "But, actually, I have stuff to do today."

"Stuff?"

"Yeah, you know… work stuff."

"Oh." An awkward silence hung in the air for a second because Alex looked like she wanted to say something else and Piper waited but nothing came out and only then did Piper understand what she meant. "Oh! Yeah, okay, sorry, I'll—" She rolled out of the bed, wrapping the lose sheet around her as she stood up to search for her clothes and she kept stuttering out explanations and apologies. "You should have just woke me up— _fuck, where's my goddamn bra_ —or tell me sooner, I don't know, I didn't think you'd— _where is my fucking shir_ —jesus fucking christ, _Alex._ "

"Relax, kid." Was all she said, still lounging in the bed, occasionally pointing here and there for Piper's scattered clothes with a proud smirk on her face.

"What do you mean relax, if you wanted me out you should have just said so and it's so late and I was just lazing around, why didn't you wake me up—"

"I _tried._ In a non-rude manner." She clarified off Piper's questioning expression. "I opened up the curtains, I was moving around, I even put some music. You didn't even move." She chuckled and Piper glared at her. Alex rolled her eyes and then she started in a very weird tone. Nervous? Uncertain? Piper glanced at her before starting to put on her shirt. "And it's not _that_ late, I mean barely eleven, that's not late." She waited a second before she continued and yes, now it was definitely uncertainty in her voice. "Do you…" She cleared her throat, sat up in bed. "Do you have anywhere to be?"

Piper finished putting on her clothes and began searching for her shoes. "Right, because I would have been carelessly and _nakedly_ kissing you in bed if I had somewhere to be." She spotted one in the far corner of the room, right below the curtains and immediately put it on, proceeding to stand up and limp around the room looking for the other. She missed Alex's scowl.

"Well, good. I mean, you don't have to go right away if you don't want to." It came out slightly stuttered and Piper stopped for a second, confusion and maybe even a little bit of annoyance glimpsing in her face.

"Don't you have _work stuff_ to do?" She said over enunciating in a tone that made Alex smirk and then she was back to looking for her other shoe, going on her fours and searching underneath the bed. With a relieved sigh, she pulled her missing shoe out and sat down on the floor to put it on.

"I do. But not for a few hours yet."

Piper looked up. She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, so you're just kicking me out _because_."

Alex sighed, exasperated. "Jesus, kid. _No_. I wouldn't have told you that if I wanted you out. Obviously." She said in a so very _duh_ tone that had Piper gritting her teeth. She waited for a second but Alex didn't seem to want to elaborate and then she raised her arms, exasperated herself.

"Then why did you make me get dressed?!"

"Okay, first of all, I didn't make you get dressed." Piper gasped, and she struggled to stand up, shoe still not on, as Alex continued, "You're the one that started freaking out just because I mentioned work stuff."

"Well, you say _stuff_ and _work stuff_ and that we can't kiss because of it so what am I supposed to think?" Alex let out a soft chuckle at that and Piper clenched her fists. "Okay, you know _what Alex_ —"

"Okay, okay, _jesus_ kid, you should really work on that temper..." She said with a smirk and when she saw Piper was about to interrupt she hurried, "I didn't try to wake you up because I wanted to kick you out." Another second went by and Piper saw insecurity flashing fleetingly in her eyes before she put on a grin and shamelessly said, "I was actually thinking we could go get breakfast."

"Breakfast?" She asked unbelievingly, slightly tipping her head forward in a questioning manner and the insecurity returned now to Alex's eyes but still she stood up and walked towards her, placing a kiss on her lips before saying surely,

"Yes. Breakfast." Piper looked her straight in the eye for a whole two seconds before she let out a breath and shook her head with a brief and embarrassed giggle. She leaned forward and caught her lips as her hand—the one not still holding the shoe— flew to rest on Alex's jaw and pulled her closer, kissing deeply and slowly, soon getting too caught up to even notice Alex's smile against her lips until she pulled away— _again_ — and Piper scowled.

"Breakfast." Alex repeated. Piper pursed her lips, eyes still trained on her lips but after a second, they found their way back to Alex's eyes and Piper grinned.

"So we're at the 'eating breakfast together' stage? You sure you're ready for that, Al?"

Alex laughed and took a strand of Piper's hair in between her fingers as she said, "well, if it turns out I'm not, don't be surprised if I slip into the bathroom and never come back."

Piper let out a string of laughter and kissed her again and Alex mumbled _can't get enough now, can you?_ against her lips. Piper ignored her. It was a really late breakfast that day.


End file.
